A conventional method of making bean milk and bean curd has a problem in that several processes are individually executed, thus it is inconvenient and complicated to make bean milk and bean curd, and it takes longer time to make the bean milk and the bean curd, thereby the conventional method is inefficient.
In order to solve these problems, there have been proposed various devices for easily and conveniently making bean milk and bean curd at home. For example, there are Korean Patent No. 225772, Korean Patent No. 228659, Korean U.M. Registration No. 158856, Korean U.M. Registration No. 250843, etc, that are disclosed by the applicant of the present invention. The Korean Patent No. 225772 was published on Oct. 15, 1999, and is titled “household bean curd maker”. The Korean Patent No. 2000-228659 was published on Mar. 15, 2000, and is titled “household bean curd maker”. The Korean U.M. Registration No. 158856 was registered on Jul. 16, 1999, and is titled “household bean curd makers”. The Korean U.M. Registration No. 250843 was registered on Oct. 5, 2001, and is titled “household bean curd maker with fixed-type blade unit”.
A conventional household bean milk and bean curd maker will be described in the following with reference to the attached drawing.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the conventional household bean milk and bean curd maker. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional household bean milk and bean curd maker includes a housing 1 which has a cavity to contain water therein. A main body 2 is provided on an upper portion of the housing 1 to open or close the housing 1, like a lid. A drive motor 3 is installed in a predetermined portion of the main body 2, and generates rotating power when electricity is applied to the drive motor 3. A drive shaft 4 transmits the rotating power from the drive motor 3. A cutting blade 5 is provided at an end of the drive shaft 4. A rod-shaped heater 6 downwardly extends from the main body 2, and generates heat when electricity is applied to the heater 6, thus heating an interior of the housing 1. A temperature sensing bar 7 detects the temperature of the interior of the housing 1. A filter net 8 is detachably mounted to a predetermined portion of the main body 2, and contains beans therein. Further, the household bean milk and bean curd maker also includes silicone packing 9 which is attached to an underside of the main body 2 at a junction between the main body 2 and the housing 1. The silicone packing 9 functions to prevent leakage of water into the main body 2 and absorb a shock.
The conventional household bean milk and bean curd maker constructed as described above is operated as follows.
First, a user puts water into the housing 1. Beans are put into the filter net 8 which is detached from the main body 2, and then the filter net 8 containing the beans is mounted to the lower portion of the main body 2. Afterwards, the main body 2 is placed on the upper portion of the housing 1 so that the filter net 8 is put into the housing 1.
Next, when a power switch (not shown) is turned on to apply electricity to the household bean milk and bean curd maker, a control unit (not shown) outputs a control signal to operate the heater 6 and the temperature sensing bar 7. At this time, a primary heating process is executed while maintaining a predetermined temperature, for a predetermined period.
When the primary heating process has been completed, the control unit (not shown) outputs a control signal to operate the drive motor 3. As the drive motor 3 is operated, the beans contained in the filter net 8 are ground by the cutting blade 5 provided at the end of the drive shaft 4. While the beans are ground, turbulence of water contained in the housing 1 is caused by rotation of the cutting blade 5. By the turbulence, bean grains which are finely ground by the cutting blade 5 come out of the filter net 8. Thus, the beans ground by the cutting blade 5 are divided into bean-curd dregs which remain in the filter net 8, and the extract of protein which flows out of the filter net 8.
Thereafter, the control unit (not shown) outputs a control signal to operate the heater 6 and the temperature sensing bar 7. At this time, a secondary heating process is executed while maintaining a predetermined temperature, for a predetermined period. Through the above-mentioned process, bean milk is obtained.
When the user desires to make bean curd, the user takes the heated extract of protein out of the housing 1. Next, a coagulant is added to the heated extract of protein so as to coagulate the extract of protein. Thereafter, the coagulated protein is pressed in a frame to produce the bean curd.
The silicone packing 9, attached to the underside of the main body 2, prevents water from entering the main body 2, and absorbs shock generated when the main body 2 is assembled with the housing 1 or the bean milk and bean curd maker is operated.
However, the conventional household bean milk and bean curd maker has a problem in that the attachment of the silicone packing 9, which is attached to the underside of the main body 2 so as to prevent the leakage of water into the main body 2 and absorb shock, is undesirably weak, so that the silicone packing 9 may be easily dislodged from its predetermined position in the maker when the maker is cleaned. Thereby, it is inconvenient to use, and loss of the silicone packing 9 may occur.